Tag: recruiting

This question randomly came up in a recent conversation with a friend. When she responded, her answers were purely physical, “Someone strong, someone [muscularly] built”. Her definition of an “athlete” centered around physical capabilities.

Google the word “athlete” and you get a slew of dictionary-term definitions — a person who is trained or skilled in exercise, sports, or games requiring physical strength, agility or stamina. By this definition, I grew up — and am — an “athlete”. I played competitive water polo, ranked nationally as a swimmer, and continue to push my physical limits.

However, when my friend flipped the question back to me, I found I have completely different take on being an “athlete”. To me, being an athlete is about one’s mindset, not physical capabilities.

Being an athlete is:

Striving for constant improvement. Kaizen.

Knowing that there will be days/weeks/months that suck but pushing through it anyway

Knowing that setbacks are just that

Taking one step backwards to take two forward

Showing consistency and perseverance.

If you have ever done any hiring or recruiting, I’d be willing to bet you have been told to “hire the best athlete”. But, what does this mean?

“Hiring the best athlete” does not mean that you should go look for D1 football players, Boston Marathon runners, or the next Serena Williams. The underlying common trait that these world-class athletes possess, after the super-human genetics that bless them, is that they all have that mindset that sets their drive… their driving motivators.

When you’re told to “hire the best athlete”, hire the ones with the intangibles listed above.

There is a “lightbulb” moment for every recruiter when their hiring leaders truly partner with them. It doesn’t happen often enough (unfortunately), but it does happen. And, when it does, we want those leaders to know that we are grateful for your collaboration with our efforts. Together, we can accomplish so much!

I am proud to be a part of a company where every one of my hiring leaders puts hiring as a priority, and sees recruiting as an extension of their own business units. Recruiting is more than just filling seats. It’s finding the best person, with the best skill set, and the best attitude for that seat. It’s finding what works, not only, for the candidate but for the hiring leader. It’s finding that beautiful match.

That being said, to all you hiring leaders who partner with your recruiting team…

I come across profiles of candidates who I think would make great recruiters. . . but their background isn’t in HR/Recruiting. How can that be, you ask? It’s simple. Recruiting is JUST like sales. The roles are analogous; they are one in the same.

With Valentine’s Day just around the corner, our thoughts are circling around the hopes of our “interests” liking us as much as we like them!

In Recruiting’s case, we want to make sure our candidates love us as much as we love them. But, let’s be realistic. Sometimes, we (recruiting) don’t always do the right things to win them over. Rather, the question should be… what are we NOT doing? Hint: The answer isn’t “sending them flowers on their birthday”

Below are 10 ways to lose a candidate:

Job description doesn’t match the actual job duties. I cannot begin to tell you how many times a Hiring Manager (HM) has given me a job description to post, only for me to find out later down the interview process that s/he is looking for something completely different. If this is irritating for the recruiter, imagine how the candidate feels. Make sure what you are asking for is what you actually want.

Failing to update them on their candidacy. This one is self explanatory, I feel. If you’re interviewing, wouldn’t YOU want to know where you stand? Even if it’s a “thanks, but no thanks”

Being non-responsive. I know a lot of recruiters who let candidates’ emails, phone calls, and text messages just simmer in their inboxes. I don’t know about you, but doesn’t this scream “I [the recruiter] don’t care enough about your candidacy to respond to you”

Not answering questions directly. Why don’t you know the answers to their questions? If you don’t know the answer, did you go find out and then relay the answer back to them? Not knowing answers is a big red flag.

Related to #3, dancing around questions. Don’t dance around questions. Answer them directly. Show them you are a no-BS type of recruiter/company.

Saying one thing, but meaning another. “You’re one of our finalists!”… yet they never hear from you again. Say what you mean, and mean what you say.

Having a tedious interview process. Long, drawn-out interview processes are a candidate killer. There is a limit on what seems appropriate. Depending on the level of the hire, I’d say anywhere between 4-5 interviews should be plenty to know whether you will hire this candidate or not. Do not — I repeat, do not — make them go through 8-10-15 rounds of interviews. It makes it look like you can’t make up your mind, or that the company is unorganized.

Too much shuffling, too little communication. “Wait, I have a new recruiter? Who’s this new person the recruiter copied on this email? Why is she emailing me now? Who’s my main point of contact???” Keep your candidate informed along the way… all steps of the process.

Being arrogant. This is simple. Don’t be arrogant. Candidates know you are the recruiter and that they have to, first, win YOU over before you pass them forward. That doesn’t give you (the recruiter) the right to completely disrespect your candidate(s). You were a job searcher at one point in your life, too… and you will likely be one again.

Undervaluing the candidate. This one is a personal pet peeve. The candidate comes and says “Today, I make 150k base salary, with a 10% bonus”. Once the company gets to offer stage, they offer the candidate 120k base, 5% bonus. That’s a punch in the gut to the candidate. The sell of “If they want to work here, they will take the offer” doesn’t always fly.

Let’s keep our phenomenal candidates and treat them with the respect they deserve!

Thank you to all my readers for reading my random ramblings. Thank you to my candidates for being so open with me and for sharing your dreams with me. Thank you to my teammates who continue to show me they’re a great bunch of folks to work with.

To my US-followers, HAPPY THANKSGIVING! To my non-US-followers, HAPPY THANKSGIVING to you also 🙂

There comes a time when everyone thinks, “I thought I interviewed well. What happened? Why didn’t I get through to the next round?” I think it’s human nature to always be asking “why”. Let’s split this into a few scenarios:

You submitted your resume, but never heard back. Why?

Before I make the decision to email/call you back, I look at your Facebook page, your Twitter profile, your blog posts, your Google+ page. I Google you. I have seen the rants about your job, how much you hate your boss, how you can’t wait for the day to be over. I have seen the, sometimes, “unclassy” pictures of your drunken stupor from last weekend. Would you hire you after seeing these things?

Your grammar. Did you pass 2nd grade? If so, I expect you to know the difference between “their”, “there”, and “they’re”. Not only is this a poor reflection on you, but I risk my reputation as a recruiter as well.

Your resume is hard to read. Why is it not in chronological order? How long did you work at XYZ Corp? When did you leave XYZ Corp? Why is the font so small???

Your resume is lackluster. I can tell when you just copy a job description into your resume. That’s great. But tell me what YOU did in that role.

Your resume lacks information I want/need to see. You’re in sales, and you don’t tell me how AWESOME you are at closing deals? Why not? Are you not proud of your accomplishments? Things that make me go “hmm” will quickly put you in the reject pile.

I had a phone interview with the recruiter, but never heard back. Why?

You didn’t do your research. Tsk tsk. Always – ALWAYS – do a little reading on the company you’re interviewing with beforehand. Know what their offerings are, know who their target clients are, know what questions you want to ask. What else can you research? The recruiter. Find out where they went to school, their career history… use it to your advantage. Build rapport with them off of any commonalities you might have.

You talk too much. Long-winded answers rarely get you anywhere. Why aren’t you listening to questions I’m asking? Why aren’t you answering my question directly? What are you dancing around? Nerves are hard to overcome in interviews, I get it. But you have to listen for cues. What is the recruiter asking of you? What kind of information does the recruiter need to evaluation your background?

Your answers sound rehearsed and redundant. Are you telling me the same thing using different words? Have you said these sentences/phrases over and over in front of a mirror, and in every interview? We can hear these nuances.

You don’t follow directions. I found you on LinkedIn, I already have access to your profile. When I ask for a resume, please send it to me. Don’t direct me back to your LinkedIn page. Not following an “ask” is a tell-tale sign of how much you want something.

You interview poorly. I have said it a million times, “interviews are just conversations”. We are here to learn about each other. I talk to some candidates where I feel like I’m trying to pull teeth. Brag about yourself! Be confident in your abilities. Ask questions right back at the recruiter. Just as we’re interviewing you, interview us!

I had an interview with the hiring manager, but never heard back. Why?

Lack of detail. By the time you’ve gotten to the hiring manager, they are looking for details on why you’d be great at a job. If you can’t back up statements like “I’m a successful sales rep” with things like “I achieved 200% of my quota YOY by continuously prospecting my territory, fearlessly hunting and cold calling, and continuously analyzing my plan of attack”, the hiring manager isn’t going to be able to assess how well you’d do here.

You didn’t send a “thank you”. Call it what you will. Some hiring managers don’t care. Some do. Some make it a “mandatory”, while others are just a “nice to have”. But, why not increase your chances by taking 2 minutes out of your day to email them? Show them you want it!

Job searches are hard. Some would say, interviews are harder. They’re stressful, they put you in a position of vulnerability. Approach your job search like you would any other tough situation in life — head on!

Let’s start off with this. For those who haven’t read my blog on the importance of candidate experience, click here to read why I think this is so important.

I’ll give you a minute to read.

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Today, I received an email from a candidate I’ve been working with for months. I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again. Candidate experience is my #1 priority. I would rather hire less people and give them 100% of my efforts, than to hire a ton and to give them 50%.

Emails like the one below make me happy. They let me know I have done right by (one of) my client.

To all the candidates out there, don’t hesitate to show your recruiter some love. They really do appreciate the kind words, and it makes our day!